Admission: possible: NYC high-school and middle-school admissions changes are a step forward

Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News
·2 min read

There’s no tougher task in New York City government than meeting the needs of deeply disadvantaged youngsters while continuing to challenge kids who are ready to learn at an accelerated pace, and mixing students from different backgrounds to boot. With just-announced changes to high-school and middle-school admissions, Chancellor David Banks is threading the needle.

Before the pandemic, about 100 high schools and programs in the five boroughs (out of 440) picked their students based on factors including test scores, grades, attendance, essays and interviews. The good: This kept standards high and encouraged hard work in middle school and before. The bad: It drove racial and socioeconomic segregation, made admissions intimidating for busy families and sometimes created the impression that those who didn’t make the cut were being left behind.

The pandemic reset the table. Because tests were suspended, schools had far fewer criteria on which to base admissions. Last year, kids needed an 85 average to get into the top tier for selective school — a low bar that most eighth graders got over.

With fresh eyes, Banks is setting a minimum 90 average, then requiring that kids be in the top 15% either in their school or citywide to place in the top tier. That should help ensure that those in every neighborhood get a fair shot and that those in especially rigorous middle schools aren’t disadvantaged. (Schools could then require essays or interviews atop that.)

There will be no changes at the three campuses that under state law use only the Specialized High School Admissions Test (and the five city-created SHSAT schools). We’re OK with that for now.

Importantly, Banks recognizes that there are brilliant kids capable of exceptional achievement in every corner of New York, which is why he’s also creating new accelerated high schools with local priority entry in Brownsville, the South Bronx and Southeast Queens — and pledging more rigorous instruction in non-screened high schools.

Last, changes to middle-school admissions make sense. Making fifth graders get high scores to get into sixth grade was too stressful, and promoted race and class stratification without much upside. Now, middle schools will have no admissions criteria by default — with local superintendents able to create screens for individual schools if there’s strong demand and a good reason.